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Talledaga notebook

By JOANNE KORTH

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 20, 2001

Talladega pole No. 2 for Compton

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Stacy Compton won the pole for Sunday's EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, but what he really needs is a sponsor for his race team next season.

Maybe one will lead to the other.

"Right now, we don't know what our future is," said Compton, who drives the No. 92 Dodge for Melling Racing. "We're meeting with people every week. This certainly didn't hurt, to come here and qualify like we did."

Compton, among the final drivers to make an attempt, claimed his second career pole with a lap of 185.240 mph around the 2.66-mile track. He also won the pole at Talladega in April, and has qualified third or higher in each of the four restrictor-plate races this season.

"The pole means a whole lot right now," said Compton, who has one top-10 finish this season. "In reality, it doesn't matter where you start here. But for my career and Melling Racing, a pole is as good as a win. We needed this to show we can compete."

Bobby Hamilton, who won at Talladega in April, was second with a lap of 184.438 mph in the No. 55 Chevrolet. Unlike Compton, he was relieved not to win the pole. Now, he can still watch next year's all-star shootout for pole-winners from a comfortable chair.

"It ain't that I don't enjoy doing it," Hamilton said. "It's just a heck of a race to watch. I've run the Budweiser Shootout three or four times and I've made a lot more money betting on it than I have racing in it."

Sterling Marlin, Johnny Benson and Bill Elliott rounded out the top five.

DEVICE DRAMA: Tony Stewart wore a head and neck restraint system Friday, but not without a fight. For about 45 minutes, it looked like an angry Stewart might sit out the practice and qualifying sessions rather than wear one of the newly mandated devices.

Stewart, who says claustrophobia plays a role in his being the only Winston Cup driver not to wear either the HANS or Hutchens device voluntarily, pleaded his case to series director Gary Nelson Friday morning without success. With Nelson looking on, Stewart strapped on a Hutchens device, gunned the engine of the No. 20 Pontiac and pulled out of the garage stall.

After qualifying, in which Stewart failed to make the field based on time, he disgustedly flung the device through the car window and refused to comment. He will start 37th Sunday.

BUSINESS MATTERS: After 10 seasons as Winston Cup director, Nelson will become the managing director of competition for all three national series next season, NASCAR president Mike Helton announced. Nelson, who will deal largely with the technical elements of racing, will be based at the new Research and Development Center in Conover, N.C. John Darby is being promoted from Busch series director to Winston Cup director.

LEADING THE WAY: Series leader Jeff Gordon's 2,032 laps led this season is more than twice as many as second-place Rusty Wallace. Gordon's 2,711.03 miles led is nearly three times as many as Wallace's 994.55.

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